Current PCC grant arrangements are in place with Durham Tees Valley Community Rehabilitation Company (DTV CRC) for the delivery of Cleveland Divert come to an end on 31st March 2020.
Liaison with DTV CRC, Cleveland Police and the National Probation Service recognise the value of Cleveland Divert and its structured early intervention offer/problem solving approach to the underlying causes for adult offending behaviour at the earliest opportunity.
Cleveland Divert fits with the priorities of the Police and Crime Plan, Local Criminal Justice Partnership and Cleveland Reducing Re-offending Group. It is requested that current grant arrangements supporting Cleveland Divert are extended for a further 12 months, up to 31st March 2021 to the value of £191,630, to allow:
- Practitioners to build a stronger evidence base. Divert has been fully operational for 9 months since April 2019 and as such the evidence base for the scheme is still evolving. A further extension of 12 months would allow 24 months of data to be captured providing a stronger evidence base to inform/influence co-commissioning opportunities
- Programme leaders to explore co-commissioning opportunities. As part of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Probation Reform Programme, a newly-appointed North East Regional Director of Probation (to come into post in April 2020) will have an Outcome and Innovation Fund. The fund will build capacity and drive innovation in cross-cutting approaches to tackling wider system outcomes, encourage joint investment and co-commissioning. The MoJ have indicated that this funding is to be used for services that are not part of sentence delivery. The MOJ has cited interest in early intervention services – thus providing a future co-commissioning opportunity for Divert. A 12 month extension of Divert would align with these probation changes. In addition, early discussions have commenced with NHS England and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) in relation to liaison and diversion services and links to the delivery of out-of-court disposals — subsequently providing another opportunity for co-commissioning and/or nominating Cleveland as a national pilot site.